A pair of young siblings in Malaysia, aged 8 and 9 years old, had reportedly drowned to their deaths in a public swimming pool in Ipoh, Perak.
The tragedy took place on the evening of 26 February.
Ipoh district police chief ACP Yahaya Hassan said in a statement that they received information about the drowning incident on Sunday at about 6.10pm.
Investigators arrived and found the two children inside the swimming pool.
They were retrieved and sent to the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital via an ambulance, where they were subsequently pronounced dead.
An autopsy was then performed on the chidlren’s bodies and found that their cause of death was drowning.
Sin Chew Daily reported on 27 February that the younger brother was drowning in the pool at the time, and his sister saw him struggling and jumped into the pool in an attempt to save her little brother.
However, she failed to save him and ended up perishing with him, with both children drowning inside the pool.
The police are investigating the incident and trying to ascertain whether the children had gone to the pool on their own or were accompanied by their parents.
ACP Hassan said that the case is being investigated under 31(1)(A) of the Child Act 2001 (Act 611) for negligence or neglect of responsibility by exposing a child in a manner likely to cause physical injury,
He also urged parents and guardians not to let their children go off for activities without supervision to prevent other similar tragedies.